Jenkins, Matthews suspended for Oct. 13 Louisiana Tech game

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said starting linebacker Steven Jenkins and backup safety Howard Matthews will stay suspended for the Louisiana Tech game – on Oct. 13.

Jenkins and Matthews had been suspended for the alleged season opener against the Bulldogs on Thursday – but that contest has been postponed until mid-October because of Hurricane Isaac. Jenkins and Matthews are scheduled to play against Florida in A&M’s new season opener, on Sept. 8 at Kyle Field.

Along those lines, Sumlin said on today’s SEC weekly media teleconference that the players were a little down on Tuesday following news of the postponement but now “we move on to Florida.”

Sumlin added later in the call, “Every coach would like to play a game this weekend and not start one game behind everybody,” when asked about any possible advantages of not playing Louisiana Tech.

On news that A&M and Arkansas would start back up in Cowboys Stadium annually in 2014 following a home-and-home series this season and next, he said, “It guarantees another game in the state” every other year and that “to play in a venue like the one in Dallas is very exciting to our players.”